Review Carnival Freedom Sept 2-8 2012

[needabreakcanada]

Hi All, this was our very first cruise so please be kind.

 

I have read so many reviews and posts I wanted to be able to pay-it-forward after my experience. So here goes:

 

First cruise for both hubby and me.

Pre-cruise hotel – Embassy suites 17th ave. Excellent – very close to total wine store and publixs. Breakfast was very good and room very large 2 room. Would definitely do again.

Should make a note that I have fibromyalgia and two days prior had a flare up in my knee’s and had to rush to find a wheelchair rental. I also had to fill out waiver with carnival stating that I was aware that my cabin was not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair is easily stored (folded) in regular balcony room in front of couch backing onto bathroom wall. I was out of the wheelchair after Key West port. (yeah!)

Embarkation went well – even though there was a late email stating not to come until 1:30 or later. Showed up at noon and went through quickly.

Headed to Lido for lunch – ate breakfast/lunch here every day and it was very good.

Cruise director Jacques De Lange and his assistant Steve did an excellent job all cruise. Even showed up to our cruise critic meet and mingle to welcome us and answer any questions.

Safety went fairly quickly in my opinion. Sail away was alot of fun waving to everyone on shore. A friend offered to try and get a snapshot of us at sail-away on her computer – she just missed us!

more to come.....

[needabreakcanada]

Me again....

 

First port Key West:

Did the city view trolley – would highly recommend Wes – he was very knowledgeable and made it fun! Walked around town and up Duvall Street after trolley ride.

Kermits Key Lime Pie – Must do – best ever.

Alot of beach type stores, jewellery stores and bars – love the $2 beer!

Houses are beautiful, interesting tree’s and loved the story behind the roosters and hens on the islands!

Full day was not needed in this port in our opinion.

Second Port Grand Cayman:

Took cab to Royal Palms. Cabby gave us a run down on the island which was very educational. British rule yet Americanized (wendy’s, burger king). Island prices are very expensive due to importing of most goods. No all inclusive on the island. Island is very clean and beautiful.

Royal Palms - $10 each beach chair rental $10 umbrella rental, beautiful beach, clearest water I have ever seen. Stood on reef and fish came right to us. Can rent jet ski’s here, parasailing and kayaks. It is not a hotel – restaurant with bar and can use the pool for extra charge ($2?). Clean washrooms and outdoor showers. $5 per person cab ride and same back again. Bucket of beer $23(four)

We walked to some shops back at pier, lots of diamond stores that were very high end. Inside pier area were some nice market type shops. We picked up some souvenirs here.

Would like to note that we were surprised how flat the island was.

more to come...

[needabreakcanada]

you asked for it!

 

Ocho Rios Jamaica:

Did the Bamboo Beach club excursion. Read some bad reviews but still took a chance. Fact: Chairs are Adirondack style plastic and low to ground and DO NOT break easily. Fact: if you are in swimming don’t expect to get all your drinks and food – you have to be there when the hostess is serving. (read alot of complaints on that – but really it only makes sense, you can’t eat or drink if you are not there).

The music is by a DJ – they have some dancers and the hostesses even dance to some songs. The bus you come in has one hostess and she serves that group and tries to keep them all together. I was very touched when after a few hours my husband finally came out of the water and our hostess asked him if he was ready to eat. Not only did she notice he had not been there – she made a point to make sure he at least had something.

Do not swim right in front of the chairs – there are sea urchins in the reef there – kitty corner to chairs on left is a cleared swim area with rope and buoys that is safe.

Drinks offered – lemonade, rum punch and red stripe beer

Food: Jerk Chicken, plantain, greens, cole slaw and kabob with pineapple and spiced sausage. All very good.

Our hostess I would recommend – Ann Marie (brown eyes). She told us about everything on both the way there and back – all the buildings, the laws, prices of gas, where bob marley and usain bolt lived; even what different parishes they have.

And please, these ladies work hard serving while you are there – a small tip wouldn’t hurt. On our bus we were the only ones to tip – so sad.

I would not recommend going outside the pier compound for shopping – we had reports from people about being harassed so bad they turned around and came right back. We shopped inside the fence at the open flea market. Just be firm with them – they will all beg for you to have a look at their wares. Nice carvings mostly out of mahogany wood. Make sure you barter.

Was surprised how hilly jamaica was.

[needabreakcanada]

Packing Suggestions:

Do take duct tape

Also the zip ties – one friend used a zip tie on her necklace that had broken at the latch – ingenious!

You do not need a shoe organizer for two people.

Do bring a high-liter for the fun ship times it makes it alot easier to keep track of what you want to do.

Do take out some clothes after packing – you will not use them all.

Do not take a clothes line – you are not allowed to use them on the balcony.

Do take a small nightlight/flashlight for going to washroom in the middle of the night.

Take very few snacks – the ones we found most handy – granola bars for in ports

Ladies pack a wrap or jacket for dining room – rather cool.

Take a light but big refillable plastic bottle - great for putting drinks in.

[needabreakcanada]

Food:

Best desserts– Cinnamon fig and date warm cake and amaretto cheese cake

Best waiter – Enrique

Best wait staff dancer – serious looking tall asian dude with glasses – spanked everyone!

Lido deck buffet: food is good – but you don’t have to eat everything!

Fish n Chips – they did not have halibut

Deli: totally delish!

Aft pizza – even worse than a frozen pizza

Lido forward food – line ups were to long for the hamburgers and hot dogs so skipped it

Lido forward ice cream/frozen yogurt: nice little treat between meals, those upside down blue things are bowls!

Note to self - if you eat too much the scale will yell at you when you get home!

[needabreakcanada]

Entertainment:

Best show - Ticket to Ride

Also enjoyed comedy club (when we could get in)

Major Complaints:

Could not enjoy balcony – cigar smoke all the time

Ridiculous system for locating your pictures, we tried 3 days in a row only to end up on the last day sorting through piles of mixed up pictures. Why should we have to do all the work to find a picture we will have to pay for????

Unexpected things:

Did not realize:

it would be so much fun and so exhausting.

how many wonderful people you can meet on the cruise

how many continents the staff members would be from

I need to learn how to manage my time better to take advantage of more things

how nice it is to not have to cook or clean!

[DOTTE]

Glad you had a great time!!

[Sparky2]

Enjoyed your review and suggestions on what to bring & what not to bring.

 

Sorry you were unable to use your balcony because of inconsiderate neighbors.

[Lovefuninthesun]

Entertainment:

Major Complaints:

Could not enjoy balcony – cigar smoke all the time

 

 

This is why we don't even bother getting a balcony anymore -- much too expensive when you can't even sit outside due to the smoke screen from an inconsiderate neighbor. The last time we tried it the smoke was awful, and when I asked the neighbor to refrain from smoking, or to try and make the smoke blow in another direction, all I got was a attitude, hostility, and ramped-up smoking!:mad:

 

Glad you had such a great time, otherwise!

[needabreakcanada]

Even though we could not go out on the balcony, I would book the room again. I was able to sneak a peek at the inside cabins, I really enjoyed the extra room in the balcony room.

 

The view was also great out the window. I know you will suggest an ocean view - but I really liked being on empress deck. We were 2 floors to lido and 2 floors to the aft pool - just perfect.

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask - things are pretty fresh in my mind, so I should be able to answer.

 

Oh and another tidbit - Yes it is true to wait until the last day to go into the shops - good deals!

[hbrote]

Thanks for your review.... We are leaving with three other couples on the same itinerary on the 30th. Thank You again....

[JennyinKS]

I was hoping we would hear from you! You had so many questions before you left, I really hoped your cruise would be wonderful for you and your family...thanks for coming back to share your experiences. We sail on her November 3rd and I am really looking forward to hearing your take on the ship.

[needabreakcanada]

Ask what you will and I will try to answer.

 

Not having anything to compare to as first time cruisers - I think freedom is great. The only one thing you have to remember is the promendade deck is the only deck on the ship that goes front to back (outside of the room only floors).

 

We got caught a few times when we hit a wall (the kitchen) and had to backtrack to go up or down one floor. Very confusing in the beginning.

 

Also even though they have maps outside of all the elevators as to what is on each floor - it doesn't clearly tell you how to get to where you want to go. By the end of the cruise you will have it down pat though.:)

[Sunburns]

Enjoyed your review and suggestions on what to bring & what not to bring.

 

Sorry you were unable to use your balcony because of inconsiderate neighbors.

 

you know, posts like this are getting very old. Those inconsiderate neighbors you speak of are just following the rules set forth by Carnival by smoking in a designated area and still having to deal with all the hostility. Do you really think they smoke just to irritate others? If that was true, they would light-up wherever and whenever they please. You can only say they are inconsiderate if you try to work something out and they refuse, as the following poster described (unless they were rude about it).

Since I booked my balcony cruise, my intention has been to send a note to each of my neighbors asking them if they will be bothered and try to set up 'smoking times' so they can enjoy some smoke free balcony time, but reading all these posts, some not very nice at all, makes me less likely to do that. I just have the feeling that some will be P&M-ing about it anyway.

Instead of all the rudeness (loud over-exerted coughs, loud complaining, slamming doors etc.) why don't you try to be polite and ask nicely? Better yet, why don't you suggest ways to make both parties happy? Or is it just more fun to belittle and complain?

 

To the OP. Thank you for the very nice review. :)

[kah1829]

We are taking this same cruise Dec 23 also our first cruise. Thank you so much for your advice and hints! I do have a question (I apologize if it's a dumb one!) We've never been to Key West and will be travelling with our 2 kiddos ages 9 and 6. We are taking them parasailing early in AM and would like to take them back to ship after so hubby and I can enjoy some "true" Key West adult beverages, lunch. etc. Is the town close enough to the cruise ship that we can walk? Thank you!;)

[Sunburns]

We are taking this same cruise Dec 23 also our first cruise. Thank you so much for your advice and hints! I do have a question (I apologize if it's a dumb one!) We've never been to Key West and will be travelling with our 2 kiddos ages 9 and 6. We are taking them parasailing early in AM and would like to take them back to ship after so hubby and I can enjoy some "true" Key West adult beverages, lunch. etc. Is the town close enough to the cruise ship that we can walk? Thank you!;)

 

I have not been there yet, either, but I have looked it up on Google maps in anticipation and it appears to be very close to many places within a few minutes walk.

[Ramrac]

So glad you wrote a review. We are taking the same cruise in 4 weeks! You gave a great review, thank you!

[franks1]

It depends where the ship docks wether you can walk or not.If it docks at the Navy ship yard Carnival supplies transportation downtown.It is a long long walk.If you dock in Mallory square ,downtown, you can walk anywhere and you are in the center of yhings.

[needabreakcanada]

Not having any other experience with cruising - I am not sure if the same ship on same itinerary docks exactly the same place each time????

 

But we did dock in Mallory Square, which is easy walking to the ship.

 

Make sure to get to Kermits for the key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick - best ever - and we also bought some yummy key lime candies that you can sample in the store before purchasing - grandparents loved them!

 

Glad you all liked the review since it was my first go around.

[needabreakcanada]

I was worried about what to take poolside without looking like a hick.

 

I took a beach bag that held the two pool towels, hats, sunscreen and our bottles of 'Juice'. Worked great as a purse on the plane as well!

Was able to put my actual purse inside along with alot of other odds and ends - under the alotment of personal carry on.

 

Oh and it took most of the week for us to figure out if you put the pool towels on the floor in your room with the other towels - your steward will give you fresh ones of those as well. Hubby kept walking the wet ones all the way forward to get fresh ones. Live and learn.

 

Also, when looking at your fun times - do hilight what you want to do, but really look at the times, allow for travel congestion and waiting for elevators in your time estimations. Schedule your meals around the shows and things you want to do. We made the mistake of going to dinner when we wanted to - not realizing we would be late for the shows. Trust me it is easily done.

 

Yes luggage does fit under the bed. Zip lock bags are you best friend for organizing and repacking, as well as, taking things into port for snacks. I read a suggestion on CC to buy the x-large ones for wet swimsuits - best tip ever. We were able to swim at pre-cruise hotel and not have to worry about carrying the wet swim suits. Take a few extra swimsuits as they take awhile to dry in the shower on the clothes line.

 

Don't worry about storage there is alot of it, even in the bathroom.

Shower was bigger that I thought it would be and had no problem as a plus size woman in there.

 

When you first lift the lid on the toilet - NO the seat is not missing - that is the actual seat!

[Sunburns]

We are taking this same cruise Dec 23 also our first cruise. Thank you so much for your advice and hints! I do have a question (I apologize if it's a dumb one!) We've never been to Key West and will be travelling with our 2 kiddos ages 9 and 6. We are taking them parasailing early in AM and would like to take them back to ship after so hubby and I can enjoy some "true" Key West adult beverages, lunch. etc. Is the town close enough to the cruise ship that we can walk? Thank you!;)

 

You will be docked at pier B

scroll down to see the location...

http://www.keywest.com/cruises.htm

[chipq]

Great review, another newbie gets hooked. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[Kentucky60]

you asked for it!

 

Ocho Rios Jamaica:

Did the Bamboo Beach club excursion. Read some bad reviews but still took a chance. Fact: Chairs are Adirondack style plastic and low to ground and DO NOT break easily. Fact: if you are in swimming don’t expect to get all your drinks and food – you have to be there when the hostess is serving. (read alot of complaints on that – but really it only makes sense, you can’t eat or drink if you are not there).

The music is by a DJ – they have some dancers and the hostesses even dance to some songs. The bus you come in has one hostess and she serves that group and tries to keep them all together. I was very touched when after a few hours my husband finally came out of the water and our hostess asked him if he was ready to eat. Not only did she notice he had not been there – she made a point to make sure he at least had something.

Do not swim right in front of the chairs – there are sea urchins in the reef there – kitty corner to chairs on left is a cleared swim area with rope and buoys that is safe.

Drinks offered – lemonade, rum punch and red stripe beer

Food: Jerk Chicken, plantain, greens, cole slaw and kabob with pineapple and spiced sausage. All very good.

Our hostess I would recommend – Ann Marie (brown eyes). She told us about everything on both the way there and back – all the buildings, the laws, prices of gas, where bob marley and usain bolt lived; even what different parishes they have.

And please, these ladies work hard serving while you are there – a small tip wouldn’t hurt. On our bus we were the only ones to tip – so sad.

I would not recommend going outside the pier compound for shopping – we had reports from people about being harassed so bad they turned around and came right back. We shopped inside the fence at the open flea market. Just be firm with them – they will all beg for you to have a look at their wares. Nice carvings mostly out of mahogany wood. Make sure you barter.

Was surprised how hilly jamaica was.

 

Do you have any pictures of this beach excursion?

[NHNEV2003]

This cruise on the Freedom was also our first cruise two years ago-- loved the ship and loved the cruise.

 

Glad you had a great time!

[Cruisebird]

By chance did you go to the piano bar? Interested in what the new piano player was like and if he was drawing a crowd?

 

Nice review. We don't leave until february but love to read about others!